Hi All. I sure hope someone can help me with this...and a GREAT BIG preemptive THANK YOU to any who can!

Kenmore side-by-side. Came home the other day from a trip, water all over the floor, frig and freezer warm. I removed the back panel and the compressor isnt running, but the compressor fan is. The evaporator (interior) fans are not running either, but light is on.

The compressor clicks, hums a little, then clicks off within a few seconds....this repeats every minute or two. The top of the compressor isnt hot.

I replaced the start relay on the compressor (part from a local parts dealer) to no avail.

m I looking at a bad compressor, bad timer or something else? The timer is 'ticking' and I have advanced it to run... not sure if that is it or not.

So to recap: Compressor tries, but doesnt start. At no time are the / is the evap fans running. The compressor fan is running.

Best to use a meter on this. If the compressor is not hot and it fails to start with the recomended start device, and you wired it properly, you probably have a bad compressor.

Thank you very much for you reply! After reading it I decided to plug the refrig in from 20 mins. Yes, the compressor is very warm on top (not too ho to touch, but very warm). I am sure if I left it plugged in longer it would get much hotter.

What bad component would that point to?

Update: Although I replaced the relay, I didnt notice that the relay and overload are two parts. Pulled the overload, held it firmly in the middle and it rattles when I shake it.

Again, the compressor tries to start, then kicks off after a few seconds. Is the overload working right by shutting it off, or is it prematurely kicking it off?

It indicates you have shorted turns in the compressor start winding and, or mechanical problems in the compressor.
I would NEVER use a 3 n 1 on a modern R134A refigerant compressor, particularly if you have a damaged compressor, will result in compressor failure without warning.
These devices provide no thermal overload, or power surge protection and have caused house fires.

If you shake the relay and little flecks of metal comes out, it means the silicon disk inside the relay has shattered. Use the correct relay to replace it. I do not recommend 3in1's as well. If the proper relay does not work then i would say that you have an issue in your compressor.

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